RNC debt looms over GOP field

Monday's announcement that the Republican National Committee is $23 million in debt has many of the party’s top strategists concerned that the national party may be a drag on the eventual Republican presidential nominee.

Obama’s campaign is already kicking into gear, moving its top players to Chicago. And there is talk of raising up to $1 billion for the president’s reelection campaign.

Story Continued Below

The Obama campaign will be aided early in its fundraising push by higher contribution limits to the DNC — something none of the Republicans will be able to match until they become the nominee.

It may take months, however, before the RNC can get back to even, delaying its ability to stockpile cash to take on Obama.

Reince Priebus, the committee’s new chairman, has the confidence of the various presidential camps to turn the committee around, top aides indicated to POLITICO.

"The RNC debt is what it is. That said, the new chairman and his team are taking exactly the right steps to address the situation and get us back on firm footing," said Phil Musser, a senior adviser to Tim Pawlenty. "I suspect they’ll enjoy the widespread support of all the potential candidates, and there is confidence, at least from people in my orbit, that the RNC will be in fighting shape by the time we select a nominee."

But even Priebus conceded Monday that the committee has "our work cut out for us."

Two key party strategists agree.

Frank Donatelli, who ran the RNC operation for McCain’s 2008 campaign, e-mailed to point out that campaign finance law "gives a unique role to the RNC, especially in presidential years."

"We're starting off with major challenges," he wrote. "To pay the existing debt and fund the ‘Presidential Trust,’ (the amount that can be coordinated with the GOP nominee) is a little over 40 million total.

"Add in the Victory plan — a minimum of $100 million — plus all of the other political functions (general political operation, IE media expenditures, micro targeting surveys), plus the running of the convention and we'll have to raise large amounts of money in the next 18 months to be competitive with a 'reform' incumbent who might raise and spend upwards of $700 million," Donatelli added.

Ed Rollins, the longtime Republican operative and Huckabee's 2008 campaign chairman, said that debt news "means that two million dollars a month has to be spent for the next two years paying off Michael Steele’s debt."

"It also means that the presidential nominee (whoever that may be) will be handicapped severely by an assumed inability of the RNC to pick up much of the staffing and costs of the presidential campaign," Rollins wrote in an e-mail. "It will also have an impact on state committees that have historically gotten monies from the national committees."

"It will put more pressure on the other two national committees to raise more funds for the Senate races and House races and not depend on the RNC for get out the vote efforts," he continued. "The other problem is with so many potential presidential candidates raising money for their campaigns, the donor base will be split."